» Proving you can come home again, St. Mary's grad Matt Lujan made his Stockton Ballpark debut Sunday and had a career-high 13 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings for the San Jose Giants in a 4-1 win over the Ports. When Lujan was lifted in the eighth, the crowd gave him a rousing, well-deserved ovation.

» Argentina's Lionel Messi received the Golden Ball award from FIFA's technical study group as the best player in the World Cup. But after losing to Germany 1-0 in the final, Messi tweeted, "I just wanted to win the World Cup. This award means nothing to me now."

» LeBron James returning home to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers spurred an idea pursued by Elite Daily: What would NBA rosters look like if the league's stars played for their "hometown" club? The Sacramento Kings' starting five would be forwards Ryan Anderson from Sacramento and Matt Barnes (born in Santa Clara but went to high school in Fair Oaks), guards Quincy Pondexter and Deshawn Stevenson from Fresno, and guard Ray Allen from Merced. The Warriors would have guards Damian Lillard (Oakland) and Jeremy Lin (Palo Alto), small forward Paul Pierce (Oakland), power forward Drew Gooden (Oakland) and center Chuck Hayes (San Leandro).

» Indians manager Terry Francona on James returning to Cleveland: "I called for season tickets an hour after he announced it - and I'm not even there in the winter."

» Phil Mickelson celebrated the Open Championship he won last year by filling the Claret Jug with only the finest liquids while it was in his possession, including a $40,000 bottle of 1990 Romanée-Conti from Burgundy. I also know from a friend that Mickelson decanted a bottle of Silver Oak in the jug and shared it with some of his buddies at The Farms Golf Club in San Diego. Mickelson was allowed to keep the Claret Jug for a year, and will return it this week when the Open Championship starts Thursday at Royal Liverpool.

» The Giants hope to finish first in the National League West, but their home, AT&T Park, already is in first place, according to the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which rated the waterfront stadium the most vegetarian-friendly ballpark in the nation with selections that include meat-free frankfurters and veggie pot stickers.

» Darren Bush threw to A's third baseman Josh Donaldson in the Home Run Derby. Bush managed Donaldson while both were with the Ports during their California League championship season in 2008.

» Chris Berman announcing the Home Run Derby is an intolerable tradition unlike any other.

» A's outfielder Josh Reddick chose "Wild Thing" as his walk-up music Monday at Stockton Ballpark instead of "Careless Whisper," his intro music at the Coliseum before he went on the disabled list with a hyperextended knee. Reddick walking to the plate with the sultry intro to "Careless Whisper" playing over the public-address system was hilarious. But he said it was time to move on to another song.